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Home of The Saturday Evening PostTue, 31 Mar 2015 20:00:36 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=4.1.1How One Community Saved a Homeless Shelterhttp://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2013/11/12/in-the-magazine/cookies-for-goodhow-one-community-saved-a-homeless-shelter.html
http://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2013/11/12/in-the-magazine/cookies-for-goodhow-one-community-saved-a-homeless-shelter.html#commentsTue, 12 Nov 2013 13:00:07 +0000http://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/?p=93941In an effort to help the homeless in their town of Burlington, Vermont, three caring businesswomen baked their charity program, "Cookies for Good," into life.

“It’s like a bake sale that happens 365 days a year,” says Abbey Duke, as baker Nina Zorfas preps the dough. Last year, they sold more than 38,000 cookies for charity. (Photo by Glenn Moody)

Moving around the big yellow kitchen lined with stainless steel ovens, prep tables, stacks of King Arthur flour, blocks of Cabot’s butter, and bowls piled with chunks of rich, dark, Callebaut chocolate, 43-year-old Vermont chef, farmer, and foodie entrepreneur Abbey Duke inhaled the rich buttery smell of holiday cookies cooling on the racks beside her and broke into a smile.

“It’s like a bake sale that happens 365 days a year,” says Abbey, waving a spatula toward the cookies that, as Christmas and Hanukkah approach, will eventually number in the thousands.

The huge mixer will be fired up; sugar crystals will be creamed into butter; and flour will fill the air. Then the delicate scent of orange blossoms will blend with the intensity of rich chocolate to entice every human within sniffing distance—and three local shelters for the homeless will have the heat on, the water running, and the lights shining into the winter darkness.

Homelessness is a life-or-death issue with little margin for error—particularly in Abbey’s home town of Burlington, Vermont, where temperatures measure 20 below zero in the darkest months of the year. Bordered by snowy mountains to the east and an ice-bound lake that runs 120 miles to the Canadian border on the west, there are few places to go when the library’s closed and you can’t afford a room.

The city’s residents became sharply aware of that fact in 1982 when a bunch of young men from Winooski—a town on Burlington’s northern border—returned from military service in Vietnam and began sleeping on park benches and huddling in doorways on Church Street. They were suffering both from physical disabilities and the psychological effects of war. They had nowhere to go.

Fortunately, one of the side effects of living in a small state with arctic temperatures, treacherous mountain roads, and not a lot of people is that most folks have a well-developed inclination to reach out and help when someone’s in trouble. Whether it’s the neighbor next door whose car won’t start or the guy down the road whose dog disappeared over the mountain, Vermonters tend to step forward and lend a hand.

Which is precisely what happened in Burlington. By the time temperatures began to plummet in December 1982, a dedicated group of religious leaders, business people, and ordinary citizens had organized the Committee on Temporary Shelter (COTS). They borrowed cots from the National Guard, rounded up volunteers, and convinced a local community center to let them use its space at night. On Christmas Eve, they threw open the doors.

The COTS folks expected to close the program when the weather warmed in the spring. But that spring, when the problem didn’t go away, COTS instead approached a local bank and applied for a loan to buy a building. “There was no reason to give us one,” says COTS straightforward Executive Director Rita Markley. “We looked like a bad risk. But Dudley Davis, the president of Merchants Bank, told the loan department to do it.” She shakes her head. “We got the loan, renovated the building, and opened a shelter.”

The Zion Canyon Farmers Market is in its eighth glorious year and located just outside of Zion National Park. Although we are quite small, we have some of the most spectacular produce and goodies in the area! Our market is held just under The West Temple on the lawn of a wonderfully supportive local restaurant called The Bit and Spur.

Every week we’re asked to bake for our Farmers Market Bake Sale Fundraiser. And since lavender is in season right now, I decided to make my locally famous Lavender Pound Cake and proceeded to use as many locally produced products as possible.

An important note about this recipe: It has been designed for a very dry climate (high desert) at a relatively high altitude—4,000 feet. Not only do I add a bit of extra baking soda and baking powder—anywhere from ¼ to ½ teaspoon—but I also add a bit more liquid. Hence the addition of vodka, which adds moisture but will evaporate faster and cleaner than water or additional milk. And I cook my baked goods 25 degrees higher than what most recipes call for, in this case 375°F instead of 350°F. (The recipe does include measurements for those who live in lower altitudes as well.)

]]>Finish your day with Melissa d’Arabian’s tried-and-true Buttery Shortbread, which she says “adds just enough sweetness to complete a meal without leaving one feeling heavy.”

Buttery Shortbread

(Makes 16 servings)

Try Melissa d'Arabian's Buttery Shortbread with a hint of cinnamon and orange zest.

Ingredients

1 stick unsalted butter at room temperature

¼ cup sugar

½ teaspoon orange zest

½ teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon kosher salt

½ cup all-purpose flour, plus extra to flour work surface

½ cup whole-wheat flour

Directions

Preheat oven to 300°F. Place butter and sugar in bowl of stand mixer (or in medium bowl if using hand mixer) and cream until light and airy, about 1 minute. Mix in salt, orange zest, and cinnamon, then add flour in 4 ¼-cup increments, mixing after each addition. Gather dough into ball (wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 15 minutes).

Spread almond mixture in prepared crust, building up mixture a little higher around edges. Place peach halves, cut side down, on top of almond mixture. Press down lightly. Fold corners of pastry over top of peaches, scrunching square pastry to fit in round pan.

Bake in preheated oven until almond filling (showing around peaches) looks dry and peaches have a slightly golden color, 45 to 50 minutes. If pastry seems to be browning too rapidly, cover edges with strips of foil. Let cool on rack 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, place reserved peach syrup in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave on High until reduced by half, 3 to 4 minutes. Brush syrup over peaches and sprinkle with reserved sugar. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Bake in preheated oven for 14 to 19 minutes or until tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool on pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes, then transfer to the rack to cool for 5 minutes. Serve warm or let cool completely.

Tip: An equal amount of white whole wheat flour may be used in place of the whole wheat pastry flour. Alternatively, use half whole wheat flour and half unbleached all-purpose flour.

Storage Tip: Store the cooled scones in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Let thaw at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours before serving.

]]>http://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2012/05/10/health-and-family/food-recipes/lemon-drop-scones.html/feed0Baking Bread: Cinnamon Raisinhttp://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2010/08/19/health-and-family/food-recipes/baking-bread-cinnamon-raisin.html
http://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2010/08/19/health-and-family/food-recipes/baking-bread-cinnamon-raisin.html#commentsThu, 19 Aug 2010 13:10:45 +0000http://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/?p=27048Baking a fresh loaf of bread from scratch is not as scary as it seems. Here's a staple recipe for the bread box.

]]>I don’t have a bread machine, dough hooks, a rolling pin, or much counter space, for that matter. But I do have a bowl, a spoon, a few basic ingredients, and a desire to overcome my fear of baking something so falsely intimidating.

Try it. I dare you.

And the best part is … the bread, which can be served round the clock.

Breakfast: Serve toasted with a drizzle of honey and a side of cottage cheese.Lunch: Serve with a scoop of light chicken salad on a bed of greens.Dinner: Serve with an entree of honey-glazed salmon.Dessert: Serve with a scoop of low-fat coffee ice cream.

Homemade Cinnamon Raisin Bread

Cinnamon Raisin Bread

(Makes 1 loaf)

1/2 cup milk

1/3 cup warm water

1 package active dry yeast

1 egg

2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons white sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons margarine, softened

1/3 cup raisins

1-2/3 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup whole-wheat flour

2 teaspoons milk

1/4 cup white sugar

3 teaspoons ground cinnamon

2 teaspoons butter, melted

Warm milk in small saucepan until it bubbles. Remove from heat and let cool until lukewarm. Dissolve yeast in warm water and set aside until frothy. Mix in eggs, sugar, butter or margarine, salt, and raisins. Stir in cooled milk. Gradually add flour to make a stiff dough. Knead dough on a lightly floured surface, about 10 minutes. Place in greased mixing bowl and turn to coat dough. Cover with damp cloth and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour and 30 minutes.

Press or roll out on lightly floured surface into large rectangle 1/2 inch thick. Sprinkle 2 teaspoons milk over dough. Mix together 1/4 cup sugar and 3 teaspoons cinnamon, and sprinkle mixture on top of dough. Roll up tightly, about 3 inches in diameter, and tuck under ends. Place loaf into well greased 9 x 5-inch pan. Lightly grease top and allow to rise again for 1 hour.

Bake at 350 F for 45 minutes, or until loaf is lightly browned. Remove from pan and brush with melted butter or margarine. Let cool before slicing.